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OSCARS ALERT: I will be live-blogging (more like live-snarking) the Academy Awards tonight. Come for the cynicism. Stay for the subversion. Add your comment. Warning: Not for the easily offended or shocked.
The people who put on the Academy Awards are in a flopsweat panic as the hours tick away before this year's big broadcast, which is having its major rehearsal and technical run-through today. For weeks now, they've been begging me and the other journalists who cover the Oscars not to trash the planning and performances for this year's telecast like we have in years past. Because their frustration and fear is that, if Sunday's top-to-bottom reworked show can't bring back viewers after 2008's sunk to its lowest ratings ever, then nothing will. And the worst part is that not even Hollywood wants to participate in the Oscars anymore.
I can report that this year's producers are privately complaining that the biggest movie stars in the world like Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, and Kate Winslet gave them reasons galore -- some serious, some trivial -- for why they didn't want to present awards, once considered a huge honor. (For instance, Kidman said she couldn't appear onstage without the "right" hairdresser. George Clooney wouldn't reschedule his current visit to Darfur refugee camps in Africa. And Winslet, the Best Actress shoo-in, claimed she was too "nervous" to take it on.) One of the few bigtime actresses who didn't balk was Reese Witherspoon. These behind-the-scenes embarrassments are one reason why the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences took the unprecedented step this year of failing to make public the list of Oscar presenters. There's even talk now of bringing back those official $100,000+ Oscar baskets of expensive freebies that used to be given to the show's presenters and performers (before Uncle Sam decided to tax the giveaways) as a way to bribe Hollywood into lending its star power.
And the lack of major celebrities is one reason why the producers may finally be able to keep the show's running time to their goal of 3 hours and 15 minutes instead of the usual dragfest that has driven away TV audiences with every passing year. But, in the process, the producers lost Peter Gabriel who refused to sing his Best Original Song from Wall-E, "Down To Earth", in what he claimed was the insulting allotted time of only 65 seconds for each of the 3 tunes in a medley. The producers also have dissed last year's actor winners by deciding that France's Marion Cotillard (Best Actress for La Vie En Rose) and Spain's Javier Bardem (Best Supporting Actor for No Country For Old Men), Scotland's Tilda Swinton (Best Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton) and even England's Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor for There Will Be Blood) weren't big enough names to carry on the time-honored tradition of announcing this year's winners by themselves. So, I've learned, the unusual step will be taken to bring onstage from a riser 5-person groups of other Best Actor or Best Supporting Actress winners from past eras in order to add more glitz and glamor to the presentations. (Not to mention that Australia's Heath Ledger won't be picking up his Best Supporting Actor award this year.) Oh, but don't worry: last year's winners will still get to open the envelope and announce who won.
So much for this year's Academy Awards shaping up as the most international ever: AMPAS is truly concerned that Americans don't care about Bollywood's Slumdog Millionaire, the shoo-in for Best Picture, its director Danny Boyle for Best Director and other 2009 honors. Even the choice of host this year, Australia's Hugh Jackman, was intended to pump up the overseas interest in the Oscars. But on Friday, people close to the X-Men and upcoming Wolverine star still felt the need to release a viral video on YouTube of a very buff Jackman, his biceps bulging, making fun of the jokes from previous Oscar hosts as he rehearsed a song-and-dance number with a Top Hat and cane. (Oh, that'll bring the under-24 demo back in front of their TVs.)
And the fact that so many Oscar categories have been locked in since December, and therefore marquee nominees like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie locked out for months, have only added to the anxiety among organizers. They even tried, and failed, to convince celebrity publicists to bring clients around to a side entrance at the Kodak Theatre instead of onto the Red Carpet Sunday in order to keep secret what the stars would be wearing so it could be a surprise for the telecast. Like, duh, the arrivals' fashion show (this year with commentary by Project Runway's Tim Gunn) are considered by many to be the broadcast's best part.
One new idea thought up by the producers that will be seen Sunday? Trophy boys. The result is that very handsome young men will now join very beautiful young women on stage carrying out the Oscar statuettes. If that's not an acknowledgement that viewership for the Academy Awards these days is limited to only females and gays, I don't know what is.
Meanwhile, a group of online bloggers has led an audience boycott of the Oscars among the predominantly male fans of The Dark Knight because of the Academy voters' snub of the $1 billion-in-worldwide-grosses comic book caper for a Best Picture nomination and its Chris Nolan for Best Director. And that's yet another problem that hurts viewership: this year, too, the most popular movies aren't in contention for the major category Academy Awards. That drives away younger viewers. So it's little wonder that ABC in this economic freefall scrambled to drop prices for 30-second ads and replace two of the key sponsors for its Sunday broadcast, General Motors and L'Oreal. Not even the prospect of 30+ million U.S. viewers could lure advertisers who've cut their TV budgets to the bone. Prices for Oscars spots averaged $1.7 million last year, but now are going for as cheap as $1.4 million. The result is that, in a departure from tradition, parent company Walt Disney had to let its rival movie studios buy time on the telecast.
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The problem is, there are NO GOOD MOVIES anymore, just crap! Why would any care what wins, there is no creativity left in Hollywood,they just keep grinding out bad, bad, no…God awful movies. And who are these people? I watch the news…there are so many 15 minute-famers….and no one cares!!!! Where is the integrity, where is the creativity? Where are the real writers? I watch movies from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. The rest…except for Peter Jackson and perhaps the Harry Potter series, doesn’t give one pause. Does anyone read the scripts? There are so many good books out there that would make remarkable films. Instead we have no-name actors in terrible movies. Enough, I am being redundant. Please, someone save us!
The wizard, there many good movies but most of them are small indie films. TDK was a good mainstream film and one of the few. Try watching The Reader. Slumdog, Wendy and Lucy or any other great smart films for grown ups. No name actors in terrible movies ?? Daniel Day Lewis is not a huge star yet is a great actor who does great films, you seriously need to watch more movies because you have no clue what you are talking about.
PS: The Dark Knight was awful; Sean Penn should be exiled from Hollywood permanently and the rest are just boring.
Do you know who cares about the Oscars and Grammys? Entertainment Reporters. That’s it. Nobody else cares in the slightest.
I can’t wait until this garbage fades away.
Your comments are so full of bitterness and envy. Pleny of peopel care about the Oscars, what it comes down to is the artists themselves, the oscars are about artists appreciating other artists. It’s not their fault your life sucks.
The fact of the matter is that Hollywood “stars” are over-hyped. I have not watched the Oscars for years….
Use to love watching the Oscars, when to stars were grateful to viewing public. Now these so called stars behave very differently to the public that allows them the perks of being famous. I say let the Oscars die and let the movie industry turn out movies. The ones that are good will do extremely well and the trash will just remain trash. Where are the Duke’s , Jimmy’s, and Katherine’s when you need them. They had class!
Yeah, it will be boring because Oscar-attending celebutards won’t bash “their guy” who currently resides in the oval office, due to their own political affiliations with him, as well as being labeled racist if they dare make a joke at his expense.
If Mickey Rourke does not get Best Actor, then we will no it’s political and rigged…and will never watch again.
Maybe I’m remembering it wrong but I didn’t think Hugh Jackman was snubbing a previous host, Letterman, but rather saying he didn’t want to get stuck with a joke that bombed. And while I personally thought the Uma/Oprah joke was funny, it’s become the most legendary joke that bombed in the history of the Awards. Partially because Letterman himself kept bringing it up for years afterward.
If no one watches who cares? ABC is bummed but those who are fans of the show or in the industry will still watch this industry award show. Why does it have to be the biggest show on Earth anyway? That’s what the World Cup is for.
WHAT is so hard about presenting at an award show? Are Jolie and Winslet that coddled and afraid to perform live for 45 seconds?! Katherine Heigl almost had a coronary up there last year. Jeez just shut up and do it!
I stopped watching the Oscars about five years ago after all the hatred spewed out by actors toward G.W. Bush and Republicans too. They can have ‘em.
Hollywood doesn’t see a need to show up, since Bush isn’t around to bash.
Here’s a thought; why not make the 2010 Oscars a Pay-Per-View event? Since academy members are the only ones that can vote and since it appears academy member’s tastes do not match the general public in any way, then let the adademy members pay their own money to watch themselves patting each other on the back.
Anybody else with any interest could tune in too. Throw in a cage match and a couple of fist fights among audience members. Ratings would soar!
“The award goes to… whoever gets to the stage first! GO!”
The Oscars are so over!!! I don’t know of anyone who watches this annual parade of narcissistic overpaid nitwits all congratulating themselves. It’s enough to make you hurl!
I haven’t been able to care about the Academy Award presentations for at least two decades. The only bits I really appreciated anyway were when winners went on forever and made asses of themselves, but when they started to shut down the sound of the winners I was out. Also, movies pretty much suck anyway and the “stars” should really run for political office rather than “act” for film. Poor ABC is stuck with the archaic and dated show.
Hollywood has totally turned me off – their politics, their product. I won’t be watching the oscars or their movies. You Tube is tons better – if I have time for that. The whole arrogant bunch bore me. Let them give their awards to each other and convince themselves they are relevant.
Don, sweetheart they are still relevant(like it or not). They make their millions, have legions of fans and their movies still make money. 2008 was the highest grossing box office year ever. Get over it.
The reason no one watches is pretty clear cut: they don’t nominate the movies the public likes. The Academy is out of touch with America. Year after year they nominate films no has seen or heard of. Maybe they are better films, but they can’t expect the prestige and viewers they had in their heyday if they don’t don’t share the sensibilities of those viewers. They keep going like this they’ll be relegated to some basic cable channel.
Hollywood no longer has any actor/actress who qualifies as a star. All the men look like hoboes and the girls look like street walkers.
No self respecting actor or actress gets in that business to be a mega star, they do it because they love acting. Only crappy actors care about being “stars”.
Year after year they give awards to each other. In recent years, the more obscure, the more anti-culture, the more degenerate, the more anti-American the actors and the picturee, as far was the useless Hollyuood trash is concered, the better. And they can’t understand why increasinly, decent Americans are turning them off. The perverts are irrelevant, and they are too full of their worthless selves to realize it.
Sorry to burst your bubble Doc but we are irrelevant, they are not. 2008 was the higest grossing box office year ever.
People are turning off awards shows because of bitterness, they have crappy lives and are tired of seeing rich people patting themselves on the back.
All these challenges could have been solved with a single addition…Billy Crystal.
Oh and maybe a few movies PEOPLE LIKED!!!!
Hollywood has become more and more divorced from the average person every year. They lecture us and tell us they are superior to us, and yet we are expected to watch their silly ceremony with movies we’ve never heard of before.
Tough s**t Hollywood—you are a joke.
Sid, only the sponsers and the producers care about crap like ratings. The actual artists care about recognizing each other’s great artistic accomplishments. Yes the general public has not heard of most of the films because most Oscar type films are smart and high brow and are indie style or artsy, the public just wants mindless crap like transformers.
The Oscars are no longer celebtrating movies. They have become a Narcissitic creation to allow Actors to celebrate their passion. If it were truly the best picture, wouldn’t it have grossed in the top 10 for the year?
Change the rules so that to be nominated, a picture must appear in 5,000 theatres (what is a good number for this?) for 2 weeks.
Any movie not qualifying will be nominated in a new category, Best limited release or Best art house film,
This will give viewers a reason to watch as they might actually have seen some of the movies. Not the limited released art flicks up for nomination this year that really only were shown in a few theaters at the end of the year just to qualify.
Just an idea.
It’s the LIBERALISM..stupid!
As an outsider to the entertainment industry, this is kinda interesting news. Personally, I don’t think the Batman movie was worthy of a Best Picture nomination.. too long. I recall while watching having the persistent question on my mind, “When is this thing ending?” Additionally, some of the action scenes were beyond ridiculous. However, kudoos to the makers of the movie for busting $1billion!
I wonder if the powers that be at the acadamy know about tevo that’s how I watch and I speed through the comercials and the song and dance crap it really is about the dresses , on Monday at work no one is going to be talking about who won what but who was in what designers clothes!!
I’m listening to this behind the scenes feed from the Spirit Awards, it’s really interesting not seeing the audience clap nor the stars accept that angel statute. ( I don’t have cable)
It’s more in-depth and intense then the award show itself. ( I saw it on cable last year)
It appears the after award interviews are really interesting then seeing someone you don’t know accept a piece of metal. Perhaps the Oscars should try that, a live feed behind the scenes, that way we can look at the free broadcast and laugh our assess off online as the stars continue to thank more people we don’t know.
Another idea, how about cameras/mikes at the Oscar bar, that way we could pretend we are drinking with the stars and pop a bottle of champagne, just for the fun of it.
I’m not gay or a woman, and the only reason I watch the Oscars is for the cleavage ( wear something revealing P. Cruz and Ms. Hayek let’s try breast feeding on ABC). So having buxom models walk out with golden orbs, no pun intended, may keep me watching past best supporting actor. Other then that since little Nicky is not going on stage this year, I see myself watching the Dark Knight, if these ***** don’t give Heath the Oscar. Which I kind of doubt they will.
Why bother to watch the Oscars? Just plain crappy liberal fare, The Constant Gardener, MILK, or whetever.
I live in Los Angeles, and I had it with the liberals – last fall I stopped buying & reading LA Times because it simply became a nauseating Glibama billboard, I don’t watch movies because they’re uniformly anti-American, and I sincerely hope that Hollywood and the Oscars will go they way NY Times went out.
And guess what? I work in the Industry and I am not the only one who watches with satisfaction Hollywood’s decline.
Prediction: Oscars confidential, this will be this show’s audience – as far as myself, I’ll tune to any weather report on the planet.
It is heartening to see that the American public is turning away from Hollywood and its self-congratulatory circle j***s such as this one.
1. Bill Condon’s Jackman/no presenters decision has already made the show boring. There should’ve been a presenters press release early Friday morning, so it could be discussed on the talk show circuit. Also: PEOPLE LIKE COMEDIANS.
2. Snubbing of The Dark Knight, Wall-E & Gran Torino was the nail in the coffin. The first two is understandable (by Oscar standards), but Gran Torino? Gun meet foot.
Too few actors, but an endless supply of celebrities. The biz is filled to the brim with former rappers turned actor and weak actors who are posing as stars. Bad actors with public bedroom pedigrees can be traced like kennel dogs, who often leave video proof of there humping talent, who figure any news is good news.
Not much acting talent of people who claim to be actors on their W-2’s.
Most of the public doesn’t know the difference between celebrity fascination and acting, but it shows up in the general disinterest at the box office and award shows. Still, they get the feeling that something is missing.
Listen, no one cares about the Oscars. The awards are given to movies that normal people couldn’t give a rat’s behind about. “Honey, it’s been a long day at work – let’s crack open a cold one, relax on the couch and watch that Doubt movie about the possible pederast priest.” Yeah, right.
Also, no one wants to watch dumb actors and actresses get up on stage and reveal their stupidity with their moronic political screeching.
Hey, Hollywood. Your box offices are dropping. Here’s a clue. Why don’t you make movies that people want to see? Straight-forward adventures, feel-good romances, well-plotted thrillers (and try to put in some good, clean heroes and heroines instead of protagonists that are just as unlikable as the antagonists).
Geez. It’s almost like all the studios (except for Pixar) are run by nitwits. Oh, that’s right. They are.
So according to you Chris, Hollywood should just make mindless low brow crap and forget about real art or good films. Sweetheart, 2008 was the higest grossing box office year ever in film history, the box office is doing well despite what you thought. And if real people didn’t care abotu actors or movies than movies wouldn;t make millions and actors wouldn’t make millions. Despite your opinion most people are fascinated with celebrity culture, get over it.
Yup, Hollywood, like the rest of this country’s culture and the mainstream media, have really gotten intolerably boring and barren of any redeeming qualities. I never even heard of most of the movies being noted this year, and aside from the Batman flick, the ones I have heard of look to be pretty much a pile of loose doo-doo.
Who the hell wants to watch the snoozefest posing as a “political statement” featuring that nutjob Sean Penn? What the hell happened with the movie industry?? Where are the actors with a presence worth projecting???
They tried pushing George Clooney for like two decades (even after he single-handedly destroyed the original Batman theatrical franchise) — he NEVER WAS the modern equivalent of Clark Gable, didn’t you producer folks know? — and it’s not that lisping little liberal sissy Matt Damon, either, nor is it the disappointing and now underwhelming and basically washed-up Tom Hanks (who could have been a true great but instead ended up an underachieving poseur), nor is it the latest spate of no-class bad-tempered crappy-personality British and Aussie imports.
We’re celebrating Mickey Rourke. Yeah. I enjoyed The Pope of Greenwich Village, that was actually a good flick. Mickey Rourke. Move over, Jack Nicholson. You too, Pacino. Outta the way, Olivier.
Maybe if the effete liberal brainless wonders in Hollywood would quit telling the rest of us how to live (while they hypocritically ignore their own advice) and quit pushing their el queero agendas and quit pronouncing the “urgency” vis-a-vis their latest sky-is-falling scams, then they might just have a little creative energy to put out something that’s actually entertaining.
But yeah, the only reason to watch the Oscars (or the movies they “celebrate,” for that matter) is if you have bad insomnia and wish to fall asleep really early for once.
Hollywood, who you kidding?
Hi there, Tom Hanks washed up ? Is this a joke ? His last film (Angels and demons) was a huge box office hit and the guy has 2 Oscars. Get over yourself.
Screw those Commie Left Hollwood Jerks! They reap what they sow. They are Unamerican!
I’ve not watched the Oscars in over twenty years. I do not care about talented actors and actresses who live in a fantasy world who dare to speak about politics. Most are so ignorant of reality that I cannot watch them without thinking about how stupid they are… not to mention so far overpaid it isn’t funny. Then there are the crappy movies, which I won’t see because of foul language, gratuitous violence or sex, and vile anti-Americanism. I’m not even going to discuss the “green” phenomenon…
Why should I tune in to a bunch of Anti-American idiots drool over Obama or bash the Republicans. The movies that have been produced, most are not worth the price of admission to a matinee, unless you are into sophistry/hiphop. Why watch an award show for this? Hollywood needs to take it’s collective head out of the sand.
These producers don’t know what they’re doing. When they try to “innovate” the Oscars to attract viewers, they screw it up. For example a few years ago when the “lesser” winners had to accept from their seats, tacky. This break from tradition where the previous winners present the awards to the new winners is a major mistake that I’m sure will be fixed next year. Just so dumb.
The mistake made every year is this notion that the audience does not want to hear the winners speak… I would cut the sappy montages and cirque de soleil “interpretations” and the horseshit and give each winner 3 minutes rather than 30 seconds. I guarantee the show would be more interesting. What has always drawn people to the Oscars is the chance to take a look inside the film industry, all the cheesing it down to a lame Vegas show is what hurts it, not the length of the show (do people skip the Superbowl because it’s too long?), not the “star-caliber” of the nominees.
And finally, those fanboys who’re boycotting over the Dark Knight- first of all they wouldn’t watch anyway because there’s no lightsaber battles onstage, but second of all they’re just dumb because The Dark Knight was not nearly one of the 5 or 10 best films of this year. It was good, but not great. The major misstep was not nominating Synecdoche, New York, which was a brilliant film.
The Academy has to face facts, the films that put bums on seats (or viewers eyes on TV screens) are totally undeserving of awards. I loved Dark Knight, but leave MTV and the People’s Choice to honor it.
To pretend the average American can recognise a decent film or a decent performance is unfortunately just not the case, so stop trying to put lipstick on a pig.
Meanwhile don’t shoot yourself in both feet by (1) giving Best Picture to such totally undeserving films as No Country, Departed (a remake for God’s sake) and Crash (2) having presenters sing or dance or (3) tinkering with the format (e.g. insulting last year’s acting winners)
Screw the Oscars and all of hollywood idiots!!!! True America Dont need any of em!!!!
I dont really care about these actors anymore. They stick their noses into things they dont know anything about, and think they are better than everyone else.
They’re not letting last year’s actor winners present this year’s actor Oscars? WTF?!?
That is one Oscar tradition they should NOT change.
do ya think it might be because of the people you are honoring….these so called celebrities are for the most part jokes…spoiled jokes…making 3rd rate movies that really nobody wants to see…bring back the likes of the stars of the past, and make movies that tell a story that people want to hear….Sean Penn..these are the reasons Hollywood is hitting bottom…nobody wants to spend american dollars watching a traitor portraying a homosexual who 99 percent of the country never heard of…..
The first generation creates it. The second generation enjoys it. The third destroys it. As we’ve seen with the newspapers, the auto companies and Network TV, so goes Hollywood. Driven by personal ambition, cloying pandering to the elite left, outspoken liberal politics and the death of the old Hollywood star system (as driven by the old line studios) the glitz and lure and fantasy of “Hollywood” is dead. Bring on Bollywood.
I stopped watching when they kept inserting their political views and started trashing the US.
Funny the article talks about “big stars” like Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Angelina Jolie…
It is precisely people like that — who are all hype and little what passes for talent these days — that have degraded cinema in general and the Oscars specifically, to the point not many care any longer.
How many of us are sick to death of sundry “stars” using the show as a rostrum for assorted, whacko political views and Global Warming spiels — a tradition started by the challenged Vanessa Redgrave.
As Paddy Chayefsky said in his rejoinder to the big-mouthed Redgrave: “A simple thank-you would have sufficed…”
Ditto that !
There is very little at the Academy Awards in the last 20 years that is worth celebrating, much less awarding the statues to.
A mere shadow and sad caricature of what was once, truly, an evening populated with bigger-than-life stars and personages.
Can I just point out – that, weeks ago, when there was such hue and cry about the SAG awards being politicized, there were some people sort of equating that with, you know, HELLO! – “the sky is blue?”
I mean, come on. Is this not yet ANOTHER sign that Hollywood is changing and that SAG actors better get their shit together and take care of each other, because these people view us as fucking props?
And yet, SAG is on the verge of laying down – and the charge to lay down is being led by – who else? – THE STARS!
Yet – READ THIS POST. You think Hollywood – the AMPTP – doesn’t NEED SAG actors?
Yes, they only REALLY need the STARS for THIS event. But the movies that were made allowing THESE people to be nominated to ATTEND this event? And get EYEBALLS to come to SEE this event on TV and therefore watch the COMMERCIALS that paid so much money to the network SHOWING this event.
The AMPTP – without SAG actors – ALL of us – is NOTHING. It is IRRELEVANT.
SAG actors have the power to DO something about this outrageous power grab and money grab – OUR MONEY – by the Greed-head -show-biz weasel suits – if we can JUST GET TOGETHER AND DEMAND OUR RIGHTS.
STOP FUCKING ARGUING AMONGST OURSELVES.
You think, SAG ALONE – standing up for the rights of the middle-class actor, won’t send these reptiles running!
Bullshit.
And imagine if we had IATSE with us?
These people may treat us with contempt and indifference in the negotiating room, but if SAG goes out, so that middle-class actors can be be given the PRIVILEGE(!) of being paid a fair wage and residual off their BILLIONS THEY MAKE off of OUR WORK?
They HAVE TO RESPOND.
And does ANYONE think – that Tom Hanks or Meryl Streep or George Clooney or ANY star is going to go anywhere NEAR crossing a SAG picket line, if we have to do that to get our rights?
They wouldn’t fucking DARE. You watch. They’re ALREADY on the middle-class actors shit-list. There’s NO wiggle room for their support if we have to walk the line – JUST NOT NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT A CONTRACT OF ROLL-BACKS AND GIVE-AWAYS BUT KEEP WHAT WE HAVE!
We can’t be paid fairly and get fair residuals because it’s a new delivery system?
BULLSHIT.
we have to dress up as cans of PLEDGE in a TV show or movie because the suits want us to hock THEIR fucking advertising?
BULLSHIT.
WE have to lose control of our right to control our OWN images, so producers can exploit it anywhere, anyway, anytime they want – AND NOT ASK OR PAY US?
BULLSHIT
Can we please be paid? Is that too much to ask?
Does anybody really care? I feel so bad for Hollywood… Reality sucks!
Big f’n deal. Who wants to hear a bunch of ungrateful, spoiled whiners give their political views. America is sick of it.
I rather watch re-runs of the Brady Bunch.
Who the hell cares about the Oscars’ anymore? Earth to Hollywood: YOU SUCK.
The New York Times is sinking fast and now it would appear that the Oscars and Hollywood itself is also fadding.Both are big havens of leftist thinking today,—–HUUMM.
Wow!! The Academy Awards used to be about American movies. America is no longer in style for the celebrities. In fact, many of these millionaires/billionaires could care less about the USA, so why should any of us care about their self absorbed lives except the ignorant parts of our population.
I actually know of several people who liked “Slumdog Millionaire.” The problem is they’re not interested in any of the other nominated films or stars.
Maybe next year the Academy could give a little thought to nominating films that people actually watched.
In a nutshell…In Hollywood’s golden years the Oscar’s were America’s and the world’s chance to get personal with their star idols. The tabloids and show’s like Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Insider and TMZ have destroyed the “untouchable” persona of the stars. The Academy Awards are just another award show. Without the viewership and ratings of years-gone-by the stars themselves no longer view the ceremony as sacred either. This will unfortunately just accelerate the ratings decline and perpetuate the vicious cycle.
It’s amazing how every year, Hollywood gets more and more oblivious to the reality of the new media. Their industry is so big and bloated and dim-witted, they’re like the dinosaurs on that fateful day staring up at the asteroid falling on them from the sky.. “Huh? What’s that?” Hahahahahaha! Enjoy clucking to yourselves with your moronic views of the world, because the asteroid is getting closer and closer.
It’s what they get for always snubbing the really good movies and instead giving the awards to stupid artsy-fartsy films that nobody cares about. The year that “Shakespear In Love” beat out “Saving Private Ryan” marked the beginning of my boycott of all movie awards shows.
Failure to give best picture and director nominations to The Dark Knight will result in, well…a dark night at the Oscars.
When is Hollywood going to realize that they too live in America , and make family oriented movies instead of the garbage they’ve been putting out the last 15 years? Every political and war movie is anti-American. Every other movie has a gay and/or lesbian theme or undertone. When are those idiots going to realize that it’s the “little people” who put them where they are? Also, save your political rants and beliefs for the appropriate forum; and while you’re at it, keep the acceptance speeches short. Where’s Gary Cooper when you need him?
how PATHETIC..the current incarnation of Hollywood stars, movers and shakers, and storytellers have FUCKED the golden goose. Hollywood—your days as a cultural force are OVER.
these self absorbed idiots have forgotten that the movies are a POPULIST art form…you can’t (year in and year out) make movies only for two dozen cineastes who live in Hollywood and Manhattan and expect to remain culturally relevant do you?
The Oscars used to be HOLLYWOOD’S BIG NIGHT, it was where the world came to for the dream factory…but your arrogance and STUPIDITY have manged to fuck that up
the people running the town have made the Oscars irrelevant–so in turn, YOU (hollywood) become IRRELEVANT…in two decades you’ll be what broadway is now. and the Oscars will carry as much weight as the tonys
shutting out half your paying public because of your politics is just one reason….but the product you churn out is either pieces of shit mind numbing, pre-packaged “blockbuster” movies…or “indie” movies that no one except critics and fellow Hollywood insiders can jerk off over
it’s done Hollywood….it was nice knowin ya—thanks for some of the good (and great) movies…judging from your recent output, you don’t have it in you to make a comeback
No Gran Torino=not interested
This is funny, no one cares about the Oscars, I feel very mainstream now. Every time a girl tries to make me go to a movie I always say “I will do ANYTHING but that.” There’s no way I am going to spend an hour + a half sitting thru some horrible movie. I doubt I even know who half these so-called stars getting awards are anyway, and the few I have heard of I’m sure I wish I didnt. Hollywood hates normal Americans anyway, looks like the feeling is mutual.
Given the lack of popular movie and star nominations, it would be unfair to fault the show’s production for its inevitable disappointment. Jackman could give a flawless performance delivering the best writing in the history of the ceremony and it still won’t do solid numbers. Americans just don’t care if unknowns from India or obscure television actors win awards for performances in oversized art-house films. Not one of the actor/actress nominees – save for Pitt and Ledger – are true A listers, and most of the films didn’t play well in flyover country. I’m not casting disparities on the value of this year’s art (the nominees represent some of the best film-making in a decade), but if you want big ratings, you need popular stars and movies.
” Not one of the actor/actress nominees – save for Pitt and Ledger – are true A listers, ”
Uh what ? Meryl Streep ? Kate Winslet(star of the highest grossing film ever), Sean Penn, Angelina Jolie. Those are all A listers.
They really should just go back to handing out the awards at a banquet, and maybe publicizing the highlights. The tension between the Academy rewarding good work that represents the best of “Hollywood” and rewarding what’s popular has never really been resolved, and the awards ceremony as it currently exists is really sort of a bastardization of what the founders intended.
AMPAS is just the world’s premiere commercial filmmakers’ country club, and there’s really nothing wrong with that, and they should stop whoring out the Oscar name to the Celebrity-Industrial Complex. Of course, celebrity and self promotion have always been a part of the Oscar and the Academy, but it’s striking how all of the creative decisions listed in this article are consistent with a complete refusal to recognize the creative work of artists making movies, in deference to putting as many big celebrities in front of the camera as physically possible.
People aren’t watching because it’s a grand masque of People Magazine, with some awards occasionally being handed out to people ABC doesn’t care to highlight, for recognition of work ABC doesn’t care to show.
Sorry but this issue pisses me off.
I concur with the general concensus comments. Acting has become a farce along with the scripts. Then to top this off, the elite class prance and pontificate as if they are qualified either as actors, polititians or spokes persons for their cause of the day.
Please, just burn down Hollywood and Broadway the charcoal would better serve the community!
You can always tell when The Drudge Report links to a website by the way the comments section is raided by idiots.
Oh wow, more mouthbreathers making idiotic generalizations, slinging juvenile, nonsensical crap, and generally just being their usual uneducated selves. The guy who said movies are “uniformly anti-American” would probably like to sell you his self-published pamphlet about how PAUL BLART: MALL COP is an attack on the core values of capitalism and Christianity, right?
Moreover, it is obvious from the comments many didn’t even bother to read Nikki’s article, they just wanted some excuse to puke up some of their vile stupidity.
Anyone with a 1/4 of a brain (which obviously doesn’t include some of the folks commenting here, who have enough trouble making up for their lack of thumbs) knows the Oscars are and have been shifting more and more towards a less mainstream television forum … not unlike a lot of other high profile events/awards.
Nikki, can’t you put some sort of Drudge idiot filter on these comments?
The reason why the Oscar will tank is because they pick movies that only they care about and it’s getting worse and worse.
I doubt that the show really has been reworked from top to bottom (especially if trophy boys is considered a newsworthy addition) but the bigger issue is: if most average Americans don’t know that you’ve reworked it, why would they tune in?
In the era of internet and DVR, awards shows need to be more than just awards shows to get people to tune in. If “reworking” means throwing more celebrities on the stage then it’s not going to work. This isn’t 20 years ago when you never got to see your favorite actors outside of their film/TV roles. Gossip sites are huge and we get to see almost too much of actors nowadays.
It also might be nice to add a bit of a celebration of the future. Maybe a couple of clip packages of upcoming films. I’m sure studios would love that and it would give the blogosphere something to talk about.
The bottom line is that right now, there’s nothing that a person gains from watching the Oscars live that they wouldn’t get from just checking the news on Monday morning.
Take all the liberal slime and dump them on an island somewhere. Who gives a flying crap about their movies anymore.
I love the fact that people posting in this thread are loudly proclaiming they don’t care about the Oscars, yet here they are IN A THREAD ABOUT THE OSCARS. Clearly, you do have some interest in them, or you wouldn’t have clicked on this story in the first place.
Fucking Drudge Report morons…
I love how these morons go on about Hollywood only making anti-American, homosexual agenda political movies while the top grossing films of the year so far have been PAUL BLART: MALL COP and HOTEL FOR DOGS.
If it hurts to be stupid, these people must be in paralyzing agony. Try next time, Drudge losers.
I also work in the industry, and I can tell you that there are lots of others in Hollywood who are getting fed up with, well, themselves (so to speak). A storm is brewing within, and these ridiculous awards shows are further proof of how horrible we have become at making movies. Everything these days, it seems, has to have a “message” about how horrible us Americans are. It can’t last forever–something has go to give. The Oscars used to be so popular, so important, and it was such an honor to receive an award. But now, heck, they’re giving awards to Al Gore—AL GORE??? Love him or hate him….an Oscar?? What a slap in the face to the industry. I could rant on and on, but I know that most people understand what I’m saying.
The list of movies and Actors that I’m willing to watch declines as the moronic liberal preaching increases. Its bad enough having undereducated idiots who contribute little or nothing to society make rediculous wages, but lump on top of that their rightous sense of superiority and I’m ready to puke.
Jon, they contribute their movies which pump billions into the global economy. What do you contribute to society ? Making stupid comments online doesn’t count.
As a conservative and one who loves movies, I can honestly say that its not the movies nominated that is the reason many people don’t tune in to watch the OSCAR show but rather Liberal Infantilism of the Hollywood Community against 50 percent of the populace. Its the same reason many conservatives refuse to attend many films throughout the year and or past years instead they choose to cherry pick those films that present a star or film that doesn’t talk down to them. This said, Hollywood and its filmmakers refuse to accept this fact and try to blame the lack of attention to their industry to issues not even remotely close to the problem. So Hollywood continues to alienate and sink sink sink as they have for the last decade or so…
I’m happy I grew up when it was difficult to choose what movie to go to,we went at least 2 times a week. Couldn’t do that now, but even if I could, nothing good to choose from.
I haven’t watched an Oscar broadcast since Billy Crystal stopped hosting them. Why would I want to watch four hours of tasteless jokes, annoying political (sorry, I mean acceptance) speeches and awards given to movies only liked on the West Coast, in Chicago and the North East?
Gotta wonder what the PR person behind these awards is thinking… depressing how this event has been so effectively run into the ground in just a few years.. Paging Pat Kingsley…
I would rather watch paint dry than watch the Oscars!
1. Nikki, you ever notice that whenever Drudge links to your site, the IQ of your comments drops 50 points.
2. As for the parade of “anti-American” comments, I have this to say. If you GOP fuckwads hate the movies so much, why are you spending time out of your day posting here?
3. Sean Penn is a “traitor”? Why is that again?
This should hardly be surprising. Hollywood is completely out of touch with REAL Americans! Apparently, many of them have come to the conclusion that being the modern day equivalent to the court jester makes them somehow important or smart. Guess what – WE ALL PRETENDED TO BE SOMETHING WE WEREN’T AS KIDS… you’re nothing special, you’re movies suck and you have absolutely no idea what so ever about what being an American really is and it’s become quite obvious that the American people by and large don’t give a crap what you twits have to say.
How’s this, move hollywood to Europe, they’re likely to have more interest in what you have to say and ideologically that’s where you belong anyway!
Oh, did I mention your movies pretty much suck now? I can’t even tell you the last year I saw a new release in a movei theater – unless it was a kids movie for my daughter. So long and good riddance as far as I’m concerned.
I’ll have you know I’m neither female nor gay, and I look forward to watching the Oscars every year. That said, many of the commenters have valid points. Maybe with the libs running the country (into the ground), Hollywood can stop making so many anti-American films aimed solely at coastal audiences.
2008 was the year The Dark Knight and Iron Man came out. Plus we got Wall-e, Kung Fu Panda, and the new James Bond. That’s what’s important to me. I hope Ledger and Rourke win, but whether the Academy thinks Milk or Frost/Nixon is a better movie doesn’t matter.
Oh yeah I forgot, half the presentors have been threatening to move out of the US before each of the last three elections. Maybe if they had the ratings would go up.
Hollywood is out of touch. The movies you make are irrelevant at best and mind-numbing usually. Gee, let’s spend a ton of money on another GWB slamfest! That always works! You people are pathetic.
Your values are morally corrupt and at odds with those that you rely on to pay for movies in theaters. Don’t you get it? Obviously not. For as smart and enlightened as you think you are, you are all mental midgets. Get a clue! You live and die by us. You work for us. We spend our money at the movies out of our surplus. Times are tuff and we are not going to to the theater to see the crap you dole out anymore.
“christopher” above said it best. Better than I ever could. Heed his words. They speak volumes about your predicament.
Americans no longer have three hours to watch overpaid pretty faces pretend to be intelligent on TV. Their vapid comments reflect the reality of today’s liberalism, and that is not my cup of tea.
Screw they MPAA, they have attacked the people with draconian tactics and it’s time for them to rot in fiscal hell.
The show has lost its appeal, the truth is, because of tabloid print and tabloid television we see most of the celebrities wayyyyyy toooo much. Before it was cool to see “movie stars” get out of limos. Now we see most movie stars getting Starbucks coffee in their sweat pants and see them out jogging or going from bar to bar.
I think there were good movies this year, I really enjoyed The Duchess (great costume drama) I loved The Reader, I enjoyed The Visitor. Watching The Wrestler made me almost tear up, the character to bound to screw his life up at every turn. I love the trasformation in Benjamin Button. I stand in line and buy tickets to movies. So I will be watching the telecast, and waiting to hear the winners, but I am sure most older Americans and most men could care less and won’t be watching. Just me and gays will be watching and bitching and rooting. One last thing, I know WAY too MUCH about Angelina and Brad, please stop already!
I am sorry but what has Hollywood done for America since WWII. Back then, the actors supported the troops and the nation. We were unified. Now, it seems that they just want to trash the country and values that made us strong.
I do not support the new movies or the Oscars. Hollywood of old is long gone.
PK, what have you done for America lately ? At least movies pump billions into the economy.
I see that Drudge Report linked another one of Nikki’s story.
I rather watch Tom & Jerry with my kids, then to expose them to a constant bombardment of hate God & America themes. My kids deserve better! America deserves better. Just SICK! of it PERIOD!
I haven’t been to a movie, or rented any flics for years, however, I am a collector of old films, and espicially old WWII films that were admitedly pro war propaganda. Amazing how Hollywood, once pro-war, is now anti-war. How then does one explain that Hollywood produces many times more films which are watch by less and less. Maybe they should concentrate on quality, divert from repeating plots, and relying on special affects, instead of logical, comedic and sound writing.
Note to self: don’t hang out with this bunch of bitter-ass commenters, they sound about as much fun as a tabasco suppository.
I like how they berate the self-aggrandizing award ceremonies, but yet are just as self righteous and self-important, because OF COURSE, they’re criteria is superior. Perhaps they’re worked up because the LA traffic’s worse than usual this weekend.
Relax people, go for a walk. Actually, don’t. You’ll be dragging your negative karma out onto the streets.
Immoral narcissists, who spew political hatred, can’t stay married to the same person for 48 hours, and crank out badly-written reruns about unsympathetic characters in bizarre, bloody scenarios. Gosh, who wouldn’t want to watch an awards show about that?
Who wants to hear these Hollywood elitist spew their political agenda with a national audience! I for one am sick of their liberal agendas and their hate speeches. They are paid to entertain US…period!!!
All the movies they make anymore are indeed garbage. The gay writers can’t seem to make anything without a gay person or couple in it anymore.
I say, let’s put salary caps on the so called stars! Millions of dollars for a movie?? They want to go after corporate America for the money they make, yet see nothing wrong with their own outrageous income.
I have not been to a movie in 15 years. I would not support these anti-American Liberal Loons with my hard earned money.
Hollywood should move to India.
I have been a film enthusiast my whole life. I used to go to the movies quite frequently and I’ve collected my favorite films on every home video format since VHS. However, in recent years I have come to despise many of the actors, producers and directors who make them. You can stick your head in the sand and deny the truth, but Hollywood has succeeded in alienating at least half of their audience by spewing political rhetoric and exploiting their celebrity in support of a left-wing political agenda. Even more irritating is the hypocrisy of their conspicuous consumption and limousine liberal attitudes. Many of us just don’t want to pay to see people who we feel are working in opposition to our best interests as Americans. It has become difficult to separate their off screen personas from their on-screen characters. My family used to wait anxiously to watch the “Academy Awards” each and every year just like the annual broadasts of “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Ten Commandments,” “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.” We would gather around the television and stay up late to root for our favorite films, directors, actors and artisans. However, the Oscar has lost its lustre and it is no longer an American tradition. I am part of a growing number of Americans who couldn’t care less who wins or loses.
Sigh. Drudge people…we don’t come to your site and bitch about Rupubs. Please wait for the People’s Choice or MTV Movie Awards. Oscars are supposed to represent the BEST the industry has to offer, irrespective of box office. With that said, choice of Jackman is just puzzling…all the song ‘n dance make it look more like the Tony Awards. I’ll still watch because I’m a film FAN. If you’re not a fan, don’t watch.
It’s nice to see Hollywood finally eating it’s own. They are so concerned about how they are viewed by everyone else, but then go out of their way to appear like the whiny, overpaid losers that they are. Suck it up pretty boys and go home and drown your sorrows with a high end glass of wine while soaking in your hot-tub.
What would make the Oscars interesting is to allow normal people to vote ie; American Idol or something to that equivelant. That would spice things up. But that won’t happen because it would mean that the studio’s wouldn’t be able to bribe the voters into voting for their movies.
I am so sick of their arrogance…I hope the first thing to collapse with this economy is hollywood. Let’s watch ‘em suffer a little.
To quote a great movie…”Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Hollywood thinks that we care which candadite they revere…we don’t give a damn. They think their opinion is a selling point, it helps me know who to vote against. Their awful liberal idiotic ideas have spilled far too much into their work, we don’t need to pay to have @#$% rammed down our throats. Hopefully the biggest victim of this depression Obama has created will be Hollywood. I couldn’t care less about the oscars much less how they doll themselves up…you can keep all that nbc.
It’s a mutual admiration society. There the Oscars, Golden Globes, Tony’s, Emmys, People’s Choice, Sundance, Cannes yada yada yada yada. This is the only industry that loves itself so much it has to publicly announce it over and over again. The general population has more important things to invest their time in.
Hollywood is the most dysfunctional society on the planet! I have no desire to tune in and risk having to hear some actor use this platform to spew nauseating liberal nonsense! These people are so out of step with their audience, they deserve to be tuned out.
people want to be entertained – they want to laugh and smile and enjoy themselves. They don’t want to watch a bunch of self-congratulatory “Artists” preaching to the unwashed masses on how we should live our lives – these people get paid to entertain us – not tell us how stupid they think we are for living and supporting conservative life styles.
I used to enjoy the Matt Damon “Bourne” movies – now I see him and all I can think of is his wide-eyed rants against conservatives. Kind of hard to spend $ on someone you know depises your life and your beliefs.
Hollywood needs to return to the business of entertainment – actors should keep there private lives just that – private.
Ok, show of hands: which of you conservatives in here DIDN’T come in from Drudge’s site?